Happy Friday, Lil Steamer Families!

From the Desk of: Principal Hoese

Lil Steamer Families --

I'll keep the note brief this week (and not because I'm running out the door at full speed to enjoy winter break 😆).

Just a friendly reminder with all of the new gifts that students commonly receive during the holiday season: please write your child's first and last name on all clothing, boots, hats, and gloves they have!

Our lost and found bins are commonly overflowing this time of year, but we are diligent in returning items to their owners if we can!

Aside from that, Roese and I wish all families a restful break, a joyous holiday season, and a happy new year.

Students return to school on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

JAGH

From the Desk of: AP Marten

As the excitement of the holiday season builds and the final school bell rings for the year, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your partnership. This semester has been filled with incredible growth, learning, and fun, and it is a true joy to see our students thriving every day.

The upcoming winter break is a much-needed time for rest, connection, and family. I encourage everyone to slow down, savor the moments, and recharge for a fantastic second half of the school year! We can't wait to welcome our students back on Monday, January 6th. We will hit the ground running, energized and ready for new challenges and achievements.

From my family to yours, I wish you a holiday season filled with peace, laughter, and joy. Have a safe and restorative break!

From the Desk of: Counselor Meumann

Sending best wishes for a joyful holiday season. Merry Christmas to all families!

If your children get bored as they are away from school over the holidays, here are some ideas:

Prepare “Thank You” notes for gifts.
Write holiday stories or poems.
Have a Christmas movie marathon in their pajamas.
Make a blanket or box fort in the living room.
Read together.
Cook together.
Play board games.

Thank you to all who have completed the photo and media release form for 1st Gateway Credit Union. We are so excited to get to participate in this amazing program and see all of our students get a brand new pair of shoes. If you have not completed the release form, please do so and return to school as soon as possible!

It is easy to learn about the teacher that your child/children have or have had. However, at FBP and FES, we are one large team. For this reason, we will introduce and give some fun information about each of our family members in our newsletter!

The "fireplace" was lit, our pj;s were on, and 1C enjoyed a little “Breakfast Before Break”. All our students and teachers enjoyed sitting down and having a special breakfast together. We have also been busy learning about how other countries celebrate Christmas. As a special dessert, we created "yule logs" and all students thought they were yummy. We even found a few students licking their plate! Special shout out to all parents who were generous with donating food and supplies for our extra special day. THANK YOU!

1D had a lovely start to the day by enjoying breakfast together before break. A big thank you to all the families who kindly donated and helped make this possible. We have also spent the week celebrating Christmas around the world. Today they learned about how Christmas is celebrated in France and had great fun making their own Yule logs as part of the experience.